Pregnancy is a time of immense change. In addition to a growing belly and wild cravings, your skin care products and the ingredients considered safe to use may also be changing. To help you find the best pregnancy bump skin care products, we asked dermatologists for shopping advice and compiled a list based on their expert guidance.
Many pregnant people experience melasma and dry skin, but experts say your facial routine isn’t the only thing you should be paying attention to when it comes to pregnancy-related skin care. Being mindful about your skin barrier health from head to toe plays a key role in preventing pregnancy-induced stretch marks, according to dermatologists. “As the skin stretches to accommodate the growing fetus, you can have an in dryness and itching,” says Dr. Carmen Castilla, M.D., a board-certified dermatologist at the New York Dermatology Group in Manhattan.
Supporting your skin barrier by keeping it hydrated and free of irritation is also important: “The main factors that contribute to stretch marks are genetics, hormones, and mechanical stress on the skin,” says Dr. Erum Ilyas, M.D., FAAD, a board-certified dermatologist with the Schweiger Dermatology group in Pennsylvania.
While you can’t change your genetics or avoid hormonal changes during pregnancy, you can take steps to reduce the stress on your skin. “The most important thing that you can do for your abdominal skin is really to keep it hydrated,” says Dr. Sejal Shah, M.D., board-certified dermatologist and founder of SmarterSkin Dermatology in New York.
Best for stretch marks$7.60$9.29
How we picked the best pregnant belly skin care products
There’s a seemingly endless number of skin care products on the market that promise to address pregnancy-induced stretch marks, but the experts we spoke to say data is limited and there’s no miracle ingredient that can erase stretch marks entirely. There’s some evidence that centella asiatica, a plant-derived ayurvedic treatment, and hyaluronic acid may help, according to the American Academy of Dermatology.
Keeping skin moisturized (a key part of maintaining a healthy skin barrier) as your bump grows is the best thing you can do to prevent stretch marks and address dryness and itchiness, according to our experts. “If the skin is hydrated it can better maintain its elasticity, which can certainly help combat some of the stretch mark development,” says Shah.
Here’s what else to keep in mind:
- Moisturizing ingredients: To best keep the skin on your bump healthy and free of irritation, Shah, Ilyas and Castilla all recommend looking for creams with ingredients that support healthy skin barrier function — namely shea butter, glycerin, squalane, avocado oil, and ceramides.
- Ingredients that target stretch marks: “The ingredients that tend to benefit stretch marks appear to work by increasing collagen and elastic fiber production in the skin, likely counteracting the impact of stress on the tissue as it expands,” says Ilyas. Theoretically, moisturizers containing vitamin E, centella asiatica, and hyaluronic acid could help prevent stretch marks, according to our experts. The key word here is theoretical — results from studies are mixed to negative. But ingredients like hyaluronic acid will still support your skin barrier. “It’s not going to hurt you and if anything, it can potentially help,” says Castilla.
- Ease of application: Whether you opt for a belly oil or a cream-based formula is a matter of personal preference, but all three experts we spoke to prefer creams. “They tend to have a little bit more of an occlusive component” — i.e. a protective coating — which can help with retaining hydration, says Shah. Creams and lotions also tend to be less messy and less likely to stain clothing.
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The best products for pregnant belly skin care in 2025
To target stretch marks and other pregnancy-related skin issues like itchiness, dermatologists recommend looking for body care products designed to support skin barrier health. “The biggest takeaway here is that you don’t necessarily need a pregnancy product,” says Shah. The best pregnancy bump-care products are, in fact, just really good moisturizers, she says.
Best stretch mark creams
Best overall for stretch marks
Ilyas recommends this Palmer’s lotion because of the centella asiatica in its formula. (As noted earlier, centella asiatica is an ayurvedic treatment that can potentially help prevent stretch marks.) This lotion’s also free of parabens, phthalates, fragrances and dyes, according to the brand, so it’s suitable for extra sensitive pregnancy skin. The brand recommends massaging it all over your body liberally twice a day for the best results
Best stretch mark cream
“It’s hard to fully prevent stretch marks because you can’t realistically control why they happen,” says Shah. What you can do, as noted above, is support your skin barrier, which may reduce the appearance of postpartum stretch marks. She likes Nēmah’s cream that contains shea butter, an occlusive that protects the skin from water loss. While it may not make stretch marks disappear, it does have two antioxidants — vitamin A and vitamin E — that prevent cellular damage while increasing moisture in the skin. You can use it both morning and night.
Best luxury stretch mark cream
For a more luxurious option, you may want to consider Clarins’ stretch mark cream, which similarly has centella asiatica in its formula. It also has key ingredients for skin barrier support — including glycerin (a humectant that helps draw moisture into the skin), and squalane (an emollient that helps seal moisture in) — that make it very soothing, says Shah.
Best body lotion for stretch marks
“Theoretically the hyaluronic acid in this lotion can help with stretch marks,” says Castilla. Even if it doesn’t, it will help with skin dryness, she says. It also includes vitamin B3, also known as niacinamide, which research shows can help decrease skin inflammation and reduce water loss in the skin.
Best moisturizers for dry pregnancy skin
Best overall pregnant belly moisturizer
Available at most drugstores, Cetaphil’s moisturizing cream is a favorite of Castilla’s, including for dry pregnancy skin. It’s clinically proven to hydrate skin for 48 hours, according to the brand, thanks to its blend of glycerin (an emollient) and niacinamide (an occlusive). The formula targets skin sensitivity, including those most common during pregnancy such as dryness, tightness, irritation, roughness, and a weakened skin barrier, according to the brand.
Best pregnant belly lotion
Castilla also recommends La Roche Posay’s Lipikar moisturizer. It’s formulated with ceramides, a moisturizing ingredient that supports a healthy skin barrier by acting like mortar between skin cells. “It’s very gentle and works very well for any dry skin, including during pregnancy,” says Castilla.
Best pregnant belly product for sensitive skin
“For dryness, Vanicream lotion is a nice product line with simple formulations and minimal use of preservatives and fragrances,” says Ilyas. Vanicream’s lotion is also free of essential oils, which experts in our guide to pregnancy-safe skin care products recommend avoiding. During pregnancy when you’re being extra careful about what you put on your skin, she advises patients to steer clear of essential oil-based products, which are not well-regulated. Shah likes this formula specifically since it’s a simple, nonirritating moisturizer that’s good for daily use.
Best pregnant belly balm
Created by and for expectant mothers, this balm from Summer Fridays provides deep hydration for your belly and can be used as often as you’d like. It’s formulated with calendula oil and a natural sunflower seed and avocado oil blend for intense moisture, along with vitamin E to boost elasticity and healing, according to the brand. For best results, the brand recommends massaging the balm into your skin whenever moisture or relief is needed.
Best pregnant belly butter
This belly butter from Burt’s Bees is designed for both prenatal and postpartum use to help soften and smooth your skin, according to the brand. It uses cocoa, shea and jojoba butters to moisturize skin, and is formulated without parabens and phthalates. The butter also uses vitamin E to treat and condition your skin, and is fragrance-free.
Best pregnancy bump cleanser
If the skin on your abdomen is feeling uncomfortable, dry, itchy or irritated — especially in the third trimester — Castilla recommends switching to a body cleanser, like this one, that supports your skin barrier (look for ingredients like jojoba seed oil and glycerin). Avène’s cleansing oil “isn’t going to strip your skin,” she says, and is gentle enough to use daily.
Best pregnancy bump oil
This belly oil uses calendula, sweet almond oil and grapefruit to help hydrate and soothe skin irritation that may be caused by a pregnant belly, according to the brand. It has a quick-dry formula and a non-greasy texture, and can be used safely on all skin types, including sensitive skin. For best use, the brand suggests applying the oil twice daily to damp, post-shower skin, and then massaging into the skin until fully absorbed.
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How to shop for pregnancy bump care products
When shopping for skin care products for your pregnancy bump, there are four factors to consider, according to experts we spoke with:
Hydration
The single most important thing you can do for the skin on your pregnancy bump is to keep it hydrated, according to the experts. They recommend looking for products with a combination of humectants (ingredients that draw moisture into the skin), emollients (ingredients that seal moisture into the skin, occlusives (ingredients that act as a barrier on the skin) and ceramides. “They are naturally found in skin and help hold the skin cells together so that it can maintain hydration,” Castilla says. Together these four types of ingredients support a healthy skin barrier.
Collagen-supporting ingredients
Again, there is no miracle cream for stretch marks. But moisturizers with ingredients that support a healthy skin barrier can theoretically help (and certainly won’t hurt). Ingredients that support collagen synthesis have the most potential to address stretch marks, according to Ilyas and Shah. As the building block of skin cells, collagen is responsible for maintaining skin’s elasticity and volume. Importantly for stretch marks (which are essentially microtears in the skin caused by stretching), collagen plays a key role in wound healing, helping to attract new skin cells to the site of the damage. Centella asiatica, hyaluronic acid, and vitamin E can all help boost collagen production in skin, according to our experts.
Delivery method
Ultra hydrating doesn’t have to mean ultra messy. Look for formulas that are easy to apply and for products that you need to gently massage into the skin, such as an oil or a lotion, says Ilyas. The American Academy of Dermatology recommends massaging your moisturizer of choice into stretch marks to increase its potential impact.
Skin sensitivity
“Your skin is more sensitive and generally more reactive during pregnancy than it is normally,” says Castilla. Use formulas that are gentle, hydrating and fragrance-free.
Meet our experts
At NBC Select, we work with experts who have specialized knowledge and authority based on relevant training and/or experience. We also take steps to ensure all expert advice and recommendations are made independently and without undisclosed financial conflicts of interest.
- Dr. Carmen Castilla, M.D., is a board-certified dermatologist at the New York Dermatology Group in Manhattan specializing in both medical and cosmetic dermatology.
- Dr. Sejal Shah, M.D., FAAD, is a board-certified dermatologist and founder of SmarterSkin Dermatology in New York. She specializes in cosmetic dermatology and treating skin of color.
- Dr. Erum Ilyas, M.D., FAAD, is a board-certified dermatologist with the Schweiger Dermatology group in Pennsylvania. Her expertise includes pediatric and medical dermatology and skin cancer treatment.
Why trust NBC Select?
Macaela MacKenzie is a journalist and former Glamour editor who has covered beauty and wellness treatments for over a decade. Ashley Morris is an associate SEO reporter for NBC Select covering skin care, lifestyle and more. For this article, MacKenzie spoke to three dermatologists about the best ways to treat itchiness, stretch marks and irritation from pregnancy bumps, and highlighted their top skin care picks and the rationale behind them.
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